1987 325is 5-speed the day i bought it for $900 first time doing this swap so i have alot to learn! kinda running on a budget too so trying to do most of the work myself (good experience too)!
got the m50 out of a 94 325ic auto for $300 with 120k on it! freshened it up some repainted most of it, metal thermo housing and thermostat, new waterpump, and swapped oil pan. got the m20 flywheel shaved at napa automotive (now weighs 16lbs), and the m20 clutch mounted up, running a g260 trans.
After a bit of forcing got it in. also using ebay replica headers (seem kinda cheesy to me but will work for the time being, also had to redrill some of the holes a bit to get them to line up properly but overall not bad for the price) Also using condor speed shop poly mounts.
Then began the wiring, deleted all the auto trans stuff i could find and made me up a list thanks to the etms on here and spliced the harness. I was a little scared about this when i started beings i hadn't really done anything like this on a car but wasn't as hard as it seemed! :)
And then what do you know, it fired right up!! :)
Took out the high beams and built a box in the corner for cold air, not sure how much of a difference this'll make though. Replaced the lights with a black mesh(gutter guard to be exact, like $3 from hardware store), just took the bulb out and put the mesh in the socket that held the bulb!
did some bumper tucking and repainting trim pieces, and this is where its at now. got some eibach springs (cheap) and a sparco strut brace. replaced rear shock cause they were horrible!!
Still have some issues that need worked out:
#1 bleeding the coolant system with this dumb m42 radiator( any other suggestions of radiators??)
Also i just bought an oem thermostat and put it in. Noticed some people have been running cooler thermostats wondering which is the best one? I think the one i have is 92*C an that seems a little too hot?!
Also my temp gauge wasn't working and so i just installed an aftermarket gauge so i can get an accurate reading, just would like to know what temp it is at the halfway mark, and also what is "too hot" for this engine?
#2 exhaust: i plan on running 3" all the way with just a muffler (we dont have e-check and i dont mind if its a little loud :) any good ideas of what brand sounds good with these?
#3 where to get the m3? wiring harness covers most people use with these swaps? Also saw some people maybe used 318 covers, does this work?
I'm sure there will be more questions down the road. Hopefully planning on boost in the near future! :)
Heres a link to a youtube video!!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKarVinf_1w&feature=plcp
got the m50 out of a 94 325ic auto for $300 with 120k on it! freshened it up some repainted most of it, metal thermo housing and thermostat, new waterpump, and swapped oil pan. got the m20 flywheel shaved at napa automotive (now weighs 16lbs), and the m20 clutch mounted up, running a g260 trans.
After a bit of forcing got it in. also using ebay replica headers (seem kinda cheesy to me but will work for the time being, also had to redrill some of the holes a bit to get them to line up properly but overall not bad for the price) Also using condor speed shop poly mounts.
Then began the wiring, deleted all the auto trans stuff i could find and made me up a list thanks to the etms on here and spliced the harness. I was a little scared about this when i started beings i hadn't really done anything like this on a car but wasn't as hard as it seemed! :)
And then what do you know, it fired right up!! :)
Took out the high beams and built a box in the corner for cold air, not sure how much of a difference this'll make though. Replaced the lights with a black mesh(gutter guard to be exact, like $3 from hardware store), just took the bulb out and put the mesh in the socket that held the bulb!
did some bumper tucking and repainting trim pieces, and this is where its at now. got some eibach springs (cheap) and a sparco strut brace. replaced rear shock cause they were horrible!!
Still have some issues that need worked out:
#1 bleeding the coolant system with this dumb m42 radiator( any other suggestions of radiators??)
Also i just bought an oem thermostat and put it in. Noticed some people have been running cooler thermostats wondering which is the best one? I think the one i have is 92*C an that seems a little too hot?!
Also my temp gauge wasn't working and so i just installed an aftermarket gauge so i can get an accurate reading, just would like to know what temp it is at the halfway mark, and also what is "too hot" for this engine?
#2 exhaust: i plan on running 3" all the way with just a muffler (we dont have e-check and i dont mind if its a little loud :) any good ideas of what brand sounds good with these?
#3 where to get the m3? wiring harness covers most people use with these swaps? Also saw some people maybe used 318 covers, does this work?
I'm sure there will be more questions down the road. Hopefully planning on boost in the near future! :)
Heres a link to a youtube video!!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKarVinf_1w&feature=plcp
Comment